


Etiam Facere

by PrincessKori



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Slow Burn, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:28:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27388729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessKori/pseuds/PrincessKori
Summary: Draco is unhappy with his life following the war, but a particular necklace gives him a second chance to be on the right side of the war. Sent back before third year starts Draco has to find a way to make amends and keep his family safe. Draco doesn't yet realize how much one little change can influence the time-line.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy, Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley
Comments: 42
Kudos: 241





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfiction so I'm very open to constructive criticism. This also is a passion project brought on because after reading many wonderful time-travel fix it fics I realized they would never be exactly what I wanted. That being said I have read a lot of fanfictions with similar premises and although I am not trying to copy them I may have similarities to those fanfictions and so if you notice a similarity please let me know so I can give credit to the original author.

“You’ve got one hour,” the red-robed Auror told Draco while giving him a look that was not pitying but also not overly hostile. 

Draco recognized it as being a look of exhaustion, one that he had seen on most of the faces he had met since the Dark Lord had been killed by Potter. It had been a long month in Azkaban since then which had culminated in his family's trials. These had ended this morning with his father's sentence of the dementors kiss and he and his mother ended up losing the manor and all other property and items excluding what Draco could collect in the next hour and a small amount of money that would likely only last a year. Draco had to be strategic in what he grabbed things of value that had no trace of dark magic as his items would most definitely be searched thoroughly by the Aurors who had brought him here to collect his items. If he was lucky he could grab enough high-value items that he could sell off and maybe get him and mother enough money until he could get some kind of job, though he had doubts that anyone would willingly take on an ex-death eater. To be honest he was worried that no one would want to buy the items if they knew it came from a Malfoy. 

Potter's testimony had kept mother and him out of Azkaban but even if the world's savior had wanted to, he could not have stopped the ministry from taking most everything from the Malfoys especially after they had got away scot-free from the first war. No, Draco and Narcissa were on their own now. 

Draco first went to his mother's closet and grabbed a few modest outfits, something that wouldn’t draw too much attention but would still flatter her. He then packed some of her most expensive gowns. Following that he went to the jewelry room they had within the manor. The Malfoys had a substantial collection of jewels both enchanted and not.

He grabbed a pair of large diamond earrings his mother had worn to one Christmas ball. She had looked so beautiful and when Draco stated that to her she had whispered in his ear that it was the earrings; they had been enchanted to make even the most hideous witch look to be the most enchanting person in the room.

He grabbed a ruby necklace that he suspected had something to do with fertility as when he asked his mother why she never wore it she had blushed, something very unlike her, and simply stated, “I have only worn it once and I plan on giving it to your future bride,” and that was the end of the conversation. 

The emerald ring he knew had protection charms on it as his father had given it to Narcissa when the Dark Lord returned and she had rarely taken it off. 

Realizing he had already wasted time in his limited hour reminiscing on his mother's jewelry, he quickly grabbed as many of his soon to be not-family jewels into one of the ministries assigned rucksacks. 

Just as he was about to leave he noticed a glimmering in one of the cases at the end of the jewelry room. A delicate pair of iridescent wings hung on a silver chain and although the case had gathered dust in the month that the manor had been empty the wings looked pristine and new. Draco thought to himself that perhaps he could take just this one piece, and give it to his mother to keep. Pushing his now grown-out hair out of his eyes Draco inspected the case for a way to open and get the necklace out but when he touched the side of the glass case the whole thing shattered. Draco stepped back covering his face but when he did not hear or feel the glass hit the ground he looked back up and saw that it was as though the glass never existed slightly alarmed but recognizing that he only had a bit more time to grab the things he would need Draco quickly took the necklace and put it around his neck.

Exiting the Jewel Room Draco saw the Auror and had the thought to ask why they weren’t watching him more closely. Auror, what was it, Jacobs Draco thinks, states back that the bags are enchanted to detect any dark magic being placed in them and Draco without a wand is unlikely to be able to do any harm.

“Plus,” he finishes, “we’ve been scouring the manor for the past month most dark artifacts have already been removed and you’ve got a trace on you Draco.” 

Draco just nods used to being tracked and not treated as a threat because honestly, he wasn’t. He had had all pride and allusions of power stripped away in Azkaban, well at least the little bit he had left after The Dark Lord. He quickly walked to the west wing where his bedroom had been moved when the dark lord came and took over most of the manor. He had just enough time to grab his clothes and a few childhood mementos including a small painting his father had commissioned before Draco had started Hogwarts. 

Grabbing his measly items Draco let the Auror aparate him to the small cottage they had been able to purchase with their allotted gold. The place had only a single bedroom the size of Draco’s old bathroom and the rest of the place was not much bigger. Draco’s mother had offered the bed to him but he refused stating he would sleep better on the couch knowing that she was safely in the bedroom. His mother had been too despondent this morning following her husband's execution to argue with Draco on the point.

Draco knew they could have grabbed more items if his mother had gone with him to the manor but he couldn’t bring himself to ask her to return to the god awful place especially today. The ministry had been quick to get them settled, wanted to close this chapter on the war, and had been the ones to find them the secluded cottage. The faster the criminals were put away the faster they could try to pretend the war never happened Draco supposed. 

“Well,” Auror Jacobs stated clearing his throat and continuing, “here's your stuff. If in a year you haven’t gotten up to trouble we’ll allow your wands to be returned to you. The floo has limited access, only to st. mungos, the ministry, and the leaky cauldron. There's a trace on both you and the house. So we WILL know who’s coming and going and what they get up to within this house. You have a ban on apparition which we will revisit if you get your wands back in a year. Any questions you can floo call the office on the back of this card or owl us at the address also on the back” Jacobs finished by handing the card to Draco giving him a small smile. He then aparated out without another word. 

Draco sat on the couch, now his bed, and stared at the walls of his new home. They had a yellowed wallpaper that he guessed may have once been white, which was spotted with daisies that had been charmed to appear to blow in a breeze but the spell must have been old as they more jutted back and forth sometimes so fast they were just a blur and then other times they would freeze only to suddenly start moving again just as soon as Draco was certain the charm had stopped working altogether. 

After glaring at the wallpaper for what must have been 30 minutes Draco stood up glancing at the bags containing all his possession which had been set down on the round dining table which was in the kitchen only a few short paces from the “living room” if one could call a couch and a nightstand with a single oil lamp a living room. Deciding to leave the stuff for later Draco went to check on his mother. 

To his surprise, his mother was doing her hair in the mirror that hung above the dresser. 

“Draco dear,” her voice lilted as she continued to style her bangs. 

“Yes mother I grabbed some clothing and I managed to get a few beauty potions from your room” he replied anticipating her question now that he knew that his mother was going to be putting on a brave face despite their situation.

Draco saw her smile at him through the mirror as he sat on her bed waiting for her to finish. 

When she came to sit next to him Draco pretended to not notice how puffy her eyes were. She took his hand in hers and used her other to bring his forehead in for a kiss, a rare sign of affection.

“Draco dear” she only said again but he knew by the relief mixed with grief in her voice that she loved him. 

At that moment Draco remembered the necklace he had grabbed for her. He reached behind his neck to undo the clasp and delicately placed it in her palm. 

“I found this at the manor and while I know we agreed to only grab the necessities and what we can sell I thought it couldn’t hurt to get this one thing for you to keep." 

At her nod, Draco took the Necklace and fastened it around his mother's neck. He heard her faintly say that perhaps if she had come with she could have gotten him something as well.

Draco simply replied, “The only thing I want now is to be able to go back and stop Father from ever siding with the Dark Lord.” 

Narcissa nodded knowing that that would likely have been his wish and probably wishing the same thing. 

As Draco Drifted off to sleep that night on the lumpy couch he wondered if his mother had ever truly supported the Dark Lord.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the first real chapter, I hope that that you enjoy it. Thoughts will be italicized. Also, I am trying to have redemption arcs for Draco's parents but I am trying to make it seem realistic, they have done some pretty awful things and I think that it will take time for them to understand why they were wrong and I don't plan on fully redeeming them. I do want to have most of the Slytherin students be redeemed as I think that they were just children who didn't have good role models. If that bothers you this probably isn't the right story for you, I'm sorry.

The light streaming in the window threatened to wake Draco but he was so comfortable that he refused to open his eyes. It was at that thought that he fully sat up his gaze greeted by the unusual sight of his childhood bedroom. The one he hadn’t seen since before 6th year when he was forced to give up his room to some death eater that trashed had trashed it with dark items and curses.

The walls were still painted with a majestic dragon flying around a scene of ancient Britain. Draco decided that this was a dream that he didn’t mind having. He got out of bed and rushed down the hall hoping to see his mother back when she had been regal and happy. He ran headfirst into what he found was his father.

As he looked up to his father's face with a raised eyebrow he heard him say, “ Draco what are you doing running down the halls, in your pajamas no less?”.

Strangely his father only sounded mildly annoyed rather than angry, something he had grown used to for the past few years.

But when Draco looked into his father's eyes, the image of his father receiving the Dementors kiss swirled in his mind and Draco could only sputter out a, “sorry,” as he turned around and rushed back to his room.

Breathing heavily Draco slammed his door shut as he slid to the floor. He could only think about how much he wished this was real.

When he had felt so empty yesterday Draco had started to worry that after everything his father's decisions had put him through Draco no longer felt love for his father. But seeing him so young and happy no lines of fear marring his face with his eyes full rather than the empty desolate look Draco could not deny that he still loved his father. He could not deny that he was truly gone and Draco didn’t know if the tears streaming down his face was for his father that he lost yesterday or for the father that he lost all those years ago.

He felt so much pain but also so empty. He wanted to sob, to scream out about how unfair the world had been to him. All he could do was silently cry, his body heaving with the quiet tumult. Time passed with Draco seeming to be acutely aware of each second but unable to move to do anything.

The sound of a house-elf pattering down the corridor outside his door was the first noise outside of his own thoughts that Draco noticed. His attention was then brought to his ragged breath.

It was uneven sometimes much too fast but sporadically his breathing would stop and Draco wondered if he would ever breathe again. His attention on his breath gave his mind something to focus on and when Draco again felt in control of his thoughts he knew he needed to steady his breath, he needed to relax his mind.

Clearing his mind much like he had learned to do when he first learned occlumency Draco wondered how muggles ever dealt with grief without things like occlumency and potions.  
Draco called for Mipsy the elf that had replaced Dobby. she appeared with a pop in her ragged dress that looked to be made from an old shower curtain. She looked at Draco’s face with mildly hidden shock at which Draco realized he must look dreadful.

“Yes, Master Draco?”

“Get me a fresh set of robes and a calming draught” Draco intoned, adding a, “ please,” at the end which Mipsy seemed most surprised by.

She quickly returned with a set of emerald green robes that Draco often wore in the summer between second and third year.

 _I guess that explains what time this dream is taking place in,_ Draco thought excitedly. Draco quickly dressed in the robes, not taking the time to style his hair as he had remembered that he had stopped slicking it back this summer anyway.

After checking that it was indeed still the morning Draco headed to the garden hoping to catch his mother drinking her tea while reading the daily prophet, as she did most mornings.

Just as he stepped into the gazebo his mother called, “Draco dear, would you like me to grab you a cup of tea too?” She snapped her fingers and Mipsy appeared again. She quickly poured Draco a cup of tea and bowed before disapparating again.

Draco sat down reminiscing on how much more efficient Mipsy was than Dobby had ever been. Though he did miss how caring Dobby was in his younger years, playing with Draco when he got bored and listening to Draco as he complained about how Harry Potter did not want to be Draco’s friend. In truth it had probably partly been Draco’s fault Dobby had been dismissed. He had spent too much time with Dobby and it probably gave the elf more of a sense of being equals with Draco. Looking back on it now many of his ‘complaints’ about Potter were more like compliments.

 _“Dobby it’s not fair everyone loves Harry Potter_ ” and “ _Dobby he’s just so Nice_ ” Draco remembered sneering. And who could forget the time Draco had gone on a rant about Potters eternally messy hair where he had ended it by stating that the worst part of Harry’s hair was how cute it made him look. Draco had blushed and avoided Dobby for a week when his brain had caught up with his words.

But thinking of Draco's childhood friendship led him to Dobby’s last moments where he had saved Potter at the expense of his own life. Draco knew that Dobby’s death much like the deaths of many others had been caused by him. Draco had no illusions that through his inaction he had lost the lives of many, the one that hung the most heavy on his heart, the death of Goyle.

“Draco,” his mother's worried tone cut through the fog of his thoughts of despair. “ you don’t look so good, are you alright?”

“Yes, mother,” Draco stated as he tried to school his face into a look of serenity.

“Oh, so it’s mother, now I know something is wrong. You only ever call me mother in public”.

 _Right_ , Draco thought, _I didn’t start calling her mother full time until 5th year._

“Yes, mum I just had a nightmare that's all,” The word mum felt out of place in his mouth like he was still a small child which looking at his body wasn’t too far off. It appeared he had yet to go through his summer growth spurt that had happened the month before 3rd year started.

"ah,” his mother stated, “ there should be a charmed dream catcher somewhere in the manor. I can have the house-elves put it above your bed before tonight” she finished with a serene smile. Secure in the thought that any dream her child had would not be too bad as he had yet to experience any hardship so far in his privileged life.

Draco wished that a simple Dream catcher could stop the ever-persistent nightmares of snakes and dying muggles. He wished that it could ease the pain of the Cruciates that he could somehow still feel when he would dream of it. And now he was certain that he would be dreaming of the look as the light left his father's eyes.

But Draco only smiled and said, “thanks mum,” kissing her cheek as he left for the manor not trusting himself to not cry if he was to sit in the too-perfect garden for much longer.

While the dream had at first seemed nice it was now torturing him with thoughts of things that could never be again. Draco tried pinching himself awake. While it actually hurt it did not wake him up. Draco next thought to try to fall back asleep but after laying in bed for what seemed to be an hour Draco started to wonder if it really was a dream.

Going back over the past day's events the only thing that stuck out to him was the unusual event with the wing necklace and the case.

Leaving the room trying to be as calm as possible Draco scampered down the hallway to the jewel room. It was just as he remembered and there in the corner was the glass case, cleaner than he remembered but that was no surprise. What did surprise him was the fact that the wings were now broken. Perhaps it had been repaired between now and 1999. Inspecting the case Malfoy noticed the inscription of Lucindia Malfoy etched into the glass.

With little else to go on Draco took this as a fine place to start. Heading to the library Draco called again on Mipsy to set up all ancestry books on the Malfoy family on the round table in the center of the library. Draco sighed when he entered the library and saw that 10 large tomes had been stacked on the table. This was going to be a long and tedious task.

Trying to remember the charm that would show any instance of a word within a book Draco brought out his wand. After admiring the wand he had yet to see since the day Potter stole it Draco cast the charm starting with the most recent book. The first Lucindia he saw was a distant cousin of his father still living with the French branch of the Malfoy cousin. Unlikely to be the owner of a necklace within the manor.

Draco rubbed his eyes and sighed he had just finished reading about the 6th Lucindia Malfoy and while the 3rd lucindia had shown promise, but upon reading further into her history he was able to eliminate her as the owner as it was noted that she refused was noted to have disgraced the family when she ran off with a muggle-born. She had taken not only her personal jewels but her mother and nieces jewelry as well. One thing that reading these histories had taught him was that it wasn't as uncommon as he had thought for pureblood witches and wizards even in his own family to turn away from traditions.

Luckily he was dragged away from his search when Mipsy came to get him for dinner. Sitting at the end of the table he noticed that his mother entered the dining room alone.

"Where's Father?"

His mother waited while an elf pulled her chair out. Upon sitting down she replied, "He's taking dinner in his office, just going over some business".

Draco nodded and remembered how Father had spent the first half of the summer brooding over what he now realizes was his failed plot to open the chamber of secrets.

"How was your day dear? I heard you spent most of it in the library," mother asked voice tinged with curiosity.

"Yes, I was interested in looking more into the Malfoy family."

Narcissa raised a brow, likely because Draco had never shown much interest in history let alone spent a whole day researching.

"Well I have to write a whole scroll for History of Magic and everyone knows that the Malfoys have had a large impact on the history of magic"

Narcissa nodded with a knowing smile.

Draco thought of something then, "you know Mother I have heard that the Blacks go back as far as the Malfoys, perhaps you could tell me about them some time".

"I don't know what has brought on the interest in family but I am not one to kill childhood curiosity. If you meet me in the garden tomorrow for my breakfast tea I shall tell you what I remember of the Black family history."

  
They finished dinner in a calm silence with Narcissa kissing Draco's temple as a goodbye and goodnight. Draco had missed these kisses as they had grown fewer as he grew up and stopped altogether in sixth year, instead replaced with knowing looks. Perhaps the only good to come from Voldemort was how close it brought Draco and Narcissa. Towards the end, they could share a look and know exactly what was going on with the other.

Draco walked back to the library hoping to find the correct lucindia soon. Sitting down he opened the second to last tome. With a flick of his wand and a muttered enchantment, the book flipped to

_Lucindia Morgana Malfoy (1409-1532)_  
_died unmarried and with no heir_  
_all items willed to the main branch of the Malfoy family._  
_Nothing of note achieved by Lucindia although she frequently claimed to be friends with the fairies (likely mad)._

_Fairies_ , Draco thought, those wings could have been fairies wings, and the fact that all items would have wound up at the manor simply reinforces this idea.

Finally, Draco had made some headway into the mystery that this day had been. Draco slowly walked to his room. Thinking as he went that he may not want to wake up anymore if this was a dream. What if it wasn't a dream but would only last for the day. Had he wasted his only day back in his happy past?

Draco shook his head trying to will away his negative thoughts. If he woke up back in 1999 he would still be grateful for this simple day and if he woke up here still, he would be sure to spend more time with Mother and Father.

Upon entering his room he saw the emerald silk pajamas laid out on his four-poster bed he quickly put them on. He called for mipsy and asked her to wake him early enough for tea with her mother. It didn't take long for Draco to be taken by sleep not having been this comfortable in a very long time.

***  
Draco spent the week following his arrival in the past either in the library studying fairies or in the gardens with his mother. So far they had discussed a majority of the Black history that she knew and had even drifted into conversations about his mother's youth. Draco was incredibly grateful to have this time with his mother where they could talk with little worry plaguing their topic of conversation. On the other hand, the few times Draco had run into his father he had sputtered out some flimsy excuse and fan off again.

It was Tuesday a week and a few days after his arrival that Lucius finally was able to corner Draco.

"Draco I would like to have a word with you in my study," Lucius stated in a cold tone. But when Draco turned to face him, his father's eyes softened just a bit.

They walked down the corridor in silence and when they arrived in the study Lucius bid Draco sit in the chairs near the fireplace. Draco was a bit surprised as his father usually gave his talks to Draco from across his magnificent desk.

"I have noticed that something has been wrong with you this past week," his father stared cautiously "you have been so much meeker around me, where you used to beg to follow me around the manor while I perform my duties as head of house you now run from the mere sight of me." Draco went to cut in and try to explain himself in whatever way he could but his father put his hand up and continued. "I am grateful that you have taken an interest in your mother's family and gaining knowledge is a useful pursuit. It does not do to have the heir of the great Malfoy family slacking off his other duties and because he fears his father no less. So now I must ask you Draco what has happened? what has caused this change?"

Draco's mind whirled as he tried to come up with a reasonable excuse. Telling the truth would be a horrible idea as he was not sure he could trust his father to not use the information to bring about a quicker rise for Voldemort and a quicker end to Potter.

"Well," he started releasing his hands that had been clenching around the arms of the chair. "I have been thinking a lot about my job as Malfoy heir and I'm unsure if mother has told you this but I had a nightmare last week."

His father nodded at this and Draco was both relieved and a bit betrayed that his mother had shared this bit of information with Father.

"Yes well… you see… the nightmare had been about…" and then Draco had a great idea. He could see where father's loyalties truly lie, " it had been about the Dark Lord"

His father's brow furrowed at that a sign that he was deeply troubled on his usually schooled face.

"What about the Dark Lord," his father prompted.

"He had returned," Draco uttered, not having to fake the fear he showed now, "He came back and he was not happy with our family for some reason. He wanted me to join him and I was forced to take the mark, given a task I was doomed to fail all so he could punish us more." Draco finished his voice getting steelier as he told the truth of his future. "It made me wonder father, would you force me to follow your master, would you put the Malfoy family in danger even if your old master turned out to be a madman"

Lucius seemed stunned for a moment but when he came to his senses he had pity in his eyes.

"Draco you are my only heir and while that is highly important you're also my son. I don't want you to fear that I would ever do anything to harm you or the Malfoy family reputation." Then he seemed to think for a moment looking around the room as though there may be someone there listening in, "you have little to worry about the Dark Lord returning but if he does we will be honored to serve as his right hand again. The Dark Lord is the only way we can bring the Malfoy family to utmost power and rid the Wizarding world of those undeserving of its power."

Draco nodded and then Lucius bid him off to the garden to visit with Narcissa.

Draco worried his lip as he made his trek out to the gardens. It was as he feared his father was still a steadfast Voldemort supporter at this time. Not yet aware of how mad the Dark Lord had become. While Draco was hoping to be able to stop the Dark Lord from ever rising again he knew that should that fail he needed backup plans. The most important of which was saving as much of his family from the Dark Lords clutches.

As he reached the entrance to the gazebo he prepared himself for another unpleasant conversation.

"Mother," he began, "do you regret siding with the dark lord".

The shocked almost frightened look on his mother's face almost made him regret asking but thoughts of the future and all he needed to change kept him steadfast on his quest for knowledge.

"Well, I um…" that was unusual for his mother, she always had an eloquent response she seemed to be truly shaken by the question.

After what seemed to be a debate within Narcissa’s mind she finally responded, "Draco I have noticed a change within you this last week, and while at first, I was worried I have come to realize that it may be for the best. Now what I am going to tell you must be kept between us and it may even be prudent that you begin occlumency lessons with Severus. But to answer your question, yes I regret my decision during the last war."

Draco was first confused by his mother's musings on Draco but then as she finished with the admission Draco came to realize that this was the beginning of a very different path.

"Why?" He nearly whispered.

"You see," she responded in a similar hushed tone, "at first it had seemed like such a great idea, siding with the Dark Lord. He had promised all the things I had learned to want growing up, pure-blood supremacy, a revival of traditions, we could rule, as we are meant to, over those who are rightfully below us." She seemed almost wistful as she spoke of the Dark Lord's promises.

"But then I became pregnant and suddenly all my priorities shifted. I now wanted the world to be a peaceful place for you, I didn't care if you were able to rule over muggles. I only wanted you to live, which during a bloody war became increasingly unlikely. I started to notice how often the Dark Lord would stomp his followers when it suited him, even if they were purebloods. The more power he gained the less he cared to keep a pretense of caring for his followers. Where he once ruled with promises to keep us in line he now ruled with fear. And I feared for you Draco,'' she stated holding his hands now.

"Every night after you were born I would worry that the next day The dark lord would take notice of you and find something wrong and irritating and punish you for it. Or punish you for a mistake of your fathers. Lucius was strong; he knew not to show too much interest in you as the dark lord would often hold that which you hold dear over your head. But I remember waking one night to the bed empty and when I went to go check on you I saw your father cradling you in his arms mummer to you as you slept soundly." She finished her voice sounding near tears.

Draco took a moment to take this in. If what his mother said was true then this could change everything he had thought was possible with Father. A new feeling of hope bloomed within Draco and he couldn't help but hug his mother.

"I'm sorry" he whispered into his hair.

In a quiet voice, Draco heard his mother reply, " it's not your place to apologize dear"

Draco only nodded as he pulled away. He kissed her hand and then told her that he should be off to the library to study now.

***  
Dracos two conversations with his parents hung heavy on his mind over the next few days. He stopped fleeing from his father and continued his tea times with his mother, though their conversations had returned to much more pleasant topics.

As time passed and the start of school was approaching Draco felt the pressure more and more to have a solid plan for stopping Voldemort.

Slamming the most recent book of fairies down on the table Draco began to take deep breaths. He could feel the start of a panic attack coming on a thing that had started when he had gotten his impossible task from the Dark Lord. He pushed his chin back and got ready to head to his room knowing he could get nothing more done in this state.

Draco Laid in bed letting his thoughts swirl through his head until he had fallen into a fitful sleep.

He was having a dream where he had become Potter's friend back in first year and he had never had to deal with the dreadful death eater stuff when he woke up with a start.

 _That's it_ , he thought, _I have to befriend Potter. He seems to always have some kind of luck surrounding him where everything turns out fine in the end for him. Why should I have to do this on my own when I can get Potter's help and in the end end up helping him too._

Draco felt a little calmer now that he had a solid goal in mind and he tried to not think too hard about how he did not yet have an actual plan to stop Voldemort.

***  
The next morning Draco woke with the light streaming in his window. He knew that his mother was going to be having some guests over for brunch so Draco asked Mipsy to bring his lunch to his room.

Once his eggs Benedict and English breakfast tea set out on his desk under the window Draco began to mull over his options.

He knew he would have to apologize to Potter and likely to Granger and Weasley if he wanted the apology to have any effect whatsoever. He continued to go back and forth over whether or not he should write letters to the trio or just apologize in person on the train. He was leaning more towards owling them but he didn't know if it was cowardice or practicality that made that option more preferable. It would probably seem more sincere if he could give them individualized apologies and Draco could edit the notes to perfection and minimize the risk of saying the wrong thing. But was he just thinking that so he didn't have to apologize to their faces and see the disgust and anger as they refused to accept them.

He could just picture the look in potter's eyes as he slammed the door on the compartment right in Draco's face. Of course, they could just as easily throw the letters in the fire as soon as they see they're from Draco.

In the end, Draco decided on the letters and he began writing them just as soon as he finished his tea. He knew he had to seem sincere which in actuality he did feel sincerely sorry to them he had been so needlessly mean to people and while the Golden trio came out of the war alive they weren't totally unscathed and they had gone out of their way to save Draco. They didn't deserve his stupid bullying when they would go through so much worse things in pursuit of saving the wizarding world from a maniac.

The best way Draco could see to be sincere was to include specific things that he was apologizing for. In Weasley's letter, he apologized for all the things he had said towards his family. In Grangers, he obviously wrote of how he had treated her unfairly for her blood status and specifically promised to never again call her a mudblood.

He had saved Potter's letter for last and he was having the most trouble with it. Twirling the quill in his hand Draco pondered what one writes to their enemy that you hope to turn friend. He knew how ridiculous it even was to have an enemy at 13 and while their fights had been petty some of the things Draco had said must have cut deep as Harry seemed to be so open at this point in time. Making friends and forgiving those who had thought he was the heir just last year.

In the end, Harry's was the longest and likely drifted into rambling territory but Draco was too worried to edit it think that he may completely lose the courage to send one to Potter if he thought about it too much.

Soon it would be time for lunch so Draco rushed down the hall towards the back door closest to the owlery. Once outside he saw his mother in what looked to be the end of brunch with Ms. Parkinson and Ms. Zabini. Blaise's mother set her champagne flute of whatever they were drinking for brunch, it was something pink and shimmering; the gold flecks had caught Draco's eye and he watched them until Ms. Parkinson said, "Draco come over here and come say hi to your aunties".

Draco smiled and walked over to the table kissing both ladies' hands. “If Mother had told me you two were the guests coming over to brunch I would have come down earlier.”

They giggled at Draco and Ms. Zabini, stated to Narcissa, “when you told us that Draco had matured I hadn’t expected him to quite so grown up. Here my little Draco is acting like a grown man having polite conversation with his aunties.”

It looked as though she wanted to pinch his cheeks and Draco took an involuntary step back. While it was all but known that Ms. Zabini could kill her husbands in cold blood and often viewed men as nothing more than pawns. She did have quite the soft spot for children; though she would never show it outside her innermost circle.

“Where are you off to Draco?” Narcissa asked, smiling at how her friends had taken to her son's new attitude.

“Just going to mail some letters to my friends,” Draco tucked the letters behind his back hoping no one had seen who they were really addressed to.

“Any letter for Pansy? I could bring it to her if you would like?” Ms. Parkinson was likely still hoping for an engagement between him and Pansy, though they both opposed it.

“No, just Greg and Vince. I owled Pans last week but I am waiting to owl her again until I hear news on the boy's Hols. You know how she loves her gossip.”

“Well, then you better hurry off and send those letters. We don‘t want to keep my daughter waiting, you know how she gets”.

Draco did know how she gets which is why he was grateful that pansy really wasn’t waiting for him to do anything. Draco did still hurry along the path to the owlery tucked in a corner of the gardens masked by a couple of willows, luckily not of the whomping variety.

The white marble structure was pristine inside and out and Draco wondered if there was an enchantment on it or some house-elf set to watch it day and night and clean it as soon as a single owl left dropping on the precious floor.

The Malfoy had about ten owls in total and while two were kept specially for Lucius’s business the rest Draco was allowed to use. Currently of the owls available to Draco, there were only 5. Draco used a Brown barn owl, usually used for delivering heavy packages and long journeys, to send his letter to Weasley as he knew he was likely in Egypt. Draco remembered how he had insulted Weasley and his family for the won money last time around and was resolved to not make the same mistakes this time around.

He then attached Hermione's letter to a spotted owl he had used now and again. Finally, he used his own Eagle-owl, Merlin to send Potter's letter.

Feeling both nervous and relieved that he had just begun his real work on befriending Potter Draco set off to join his father for a game of chess.

***  
Weasley was the first one to send his reply. He had kept the barn owl just long enough to write back, _“Sod off Malfoy”_. The succinct reply did not come as a surprise to Draco; he only wondered if Weasley had read the letter before he penned this reply. Either way, he had expected Weasley to not accept his apology. The bad blood between their families was far too ingrained and ever since coming to Hogwarts Draco had only worsened the tensions.

Granger was the Next to reply, her letter being a bit longer than Weasleys it had read

_“Draco, while I appreciate that you are making an effort to change your ways I am afraid that it is too little too late. The things you have said and done to my friends and I are simply too bad for me to be able to forgive you. I do hope that despite this response you continue to try and be a better person.”_

Draco was actually quite happy with her response as if she was being honest, she at least had hope that he was being sincere. What concerned him the most was the fact that he had not received any reply from Potter. Unlike his two friends, he had not kept Draco's owl to write a reply letter. Merlin had returned after a day away looking well-rested. This hadn’t concerned Draco too much as he knew that Potter had his own owl and could send him off with Draco’s reply whenever he wished.

But the first week passed with no reply not even a short and concise one like Weasley had sent. By the second week, Draco had resigned himself to the fact that Potter was likely not going to reply meaning that Draco had no way to gauge exactly how Potter had taken his apology.

He had hope that Potter would eventually be able to forgive him as Draco had nicknamed him Saint Potter for a reason. He seemed to be so inexplicably good, forgiving and helping anyone whether they truly deserved it or not. He forgave Draco after his multiple attempts to kill the Headmaster. But Draco still had his doubts, as of right now Potter was still a child he hadn’t gone through the horrors of the war and Draco didn’t know how much of Potters goodness was brought on by experience versus just being part of his core character.


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter will include some stuff lifted straight from Prisoner of Azkaban but I believe it will be the only chapter that does as things will start changing from here on out. I'm trying my best to edit and write this as well as I can but writing has never been my strong suit. Please let me know if there is anything I can improve on :)

**Chapter 2**

The last few weeks of summer passed rather quickly with Draco brainstorming ways to get Potter to not only stop hating him but also come to see him as a friend. Draco also had to catch up on his summer homework which he had forgone earlier in his fruitless search on fairies. In the end, he only had a half-baked plan to take it slow with Harry which included: no longer bullying anyone-especially Potter and Friends, be extra nice to Hagrid, mainly because he knew how much Potter valued Hagrid, and somehow help with Sirius Black though he had little clue how. 

Sirius Black had plagued Dracos planning these past weeks. He knew that it was truly Wormtail to give away the Potters to the Dark Lord, not Sirius Black, but he had no idea how Potter came to find that out. One moment everyone was terrified of Black and it seemed as though overnight everyone stopped caring about the escaped convict. And how did Wormtail play into all of this, was he hiding out with the Dark Lord all this time?

As Draco approached the platform he pondered the conundrum again and was resigned to the fact that it only put that much more weight behind the idea that he needed to befriend Potter this coming year. 

Draco hugged his mother goodbye and felt his father pat his back and he told him to do well this year. Pushing back tears that surprised Draco as he thought of how he would miss the sight of his once again carefree parents while at Hogwarts. He worried he would forget how happy they were now, their Visages replaced with the haunted looks from the future. 

Draco got to his usual carriage noticing the young versions of Crabbe and Goyle already digging into some candy they must have either pilfered from the trolley or brought with them. 

Draco sat with an air of superiority that didn't quite feel right but knew would be necessary for this next part

"Greg and Vince I assume you received my owl?" Draco questioned and they both nodded. 

"But why 'd we have to be nice to even mudbloods?" Vincent questioned and Greggorry nodded enthusiastically clearly confused why after two years they were being asked to completely change their behavior. A behavior that Draco himself had cultivated. 

"As I explained in the letter, one day I will be very influential and I have come to realize that with her knowledge and connections Granger will very likely have someplace of prominence within the wizarding world sadly. I will need to not be on her bad side and have also come to the conclusion that it may be better to not make any enemies until we know who will be important and who will not." Draco finished feeling very good about his plan to get his underlings to change their ways. 

That was until Gregory muttered, " a bit late for that". And Draco remembered that although they may not be the brightest wizards they weren't as daft as everyone seemed to believe. 

"Yes, well that only means we will have to work harder to create a neutral image" 

Vince and Greg didn't respond and instead dug into their candy again. 

It had been an hour or two when Draco felt the train lurch to a stop. He had known this would happen, remembering the first time he had been faced with the dementors in third year. But he brought a few chocolate frogs just for the occasion. 

What he hadn't fully considered was how much he would be affected by the dementors. Sure they had caused him great distress back in 1999 but now he was 13 again. He had the comforts of his spoiled life back. 

He felt the dementors before he saw any sign of them. Thoughts of how he was doomed to fail this second chance began creeping into his mind and he knew they were drawing near. But knowing that this was caused by the dementors didn't stop how hopeless Draco felt at the thought of it. His mind was barraged by images of deaths, deaths he could have avoided, and was now doomed to cause again. He was going to get Goyle murdered again. 

Draco didn't realize he was hyperventilating until the dementors had left and he was being shaken by Blaise Zabini. 

"Draco! Draco, are you alright?" Blaise stated still shaking Draco. " What's going on? What were those things and why does everyone feel so bad." 

Draco attempted to calm his breathing while his shaking fingers reached into his robe pocket searching for the chocolate frogs. 

"They're dementors from Azkaban, eat some chocolate, it should help" Draco responded, handing one of the frogs to Blaise and pointing out Greg and Vince's partially eaten pile of chocolate to the two boys. 

"I'm going to check on Pansy," Draco said after eating half of his own chocolate frog. 

Leaving the compartment he tried to remember which compartment she and the other girls had chosen this year. 

Walking down the train, he noticed a blonde girl sitting on the floor outside a compartment near his own. She was shaking with her head covered as it was bowed over her bent knees. He stopped and after thinking for a moment broke off a piece from his chocolate frog. 

He got down on her level and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Here have some chocolate it will help" Draco held out the leg of the frog.

She looked up and he noticed with a start that it was Luna Lovegood. He remembered bringing her food sometimes when she had been captured in the manor. Many times he had wanted to apologize to her but had held back knowing it would mean nothing as he wasn't willing to actually help her escape. 

"My mum" she whispered and Draco remembered that Luna had lost her mom not too long ago at this point.

"Come sit in my compartment. My friends will be nice to you". He helped her up and brought her to his compartment. Once he had sat her Next to Blaise who was now sitting in his old seat he looked to Vince and Gregg.

"This is Luna Lovegood she was affected by the dementors too. You guys should try to cheer her up. Don't forget what we spoke about earlier," Draco finished giving them a meaningful look hoping they had enough brains to understand at least this simple request. 

Draco quickly left to go finish what he had initially left the carriage to do. After wandering around for a few minutes looking in every compartment Draco finally came across the girls. Pansy was crying in Daphne green grasses arms while Millie rubbed her back. 

"Here pans," he started handing her his last chocolate frog. "Chocolate helps. It's just the Dementors."

"Draco," she wailed wrapping her arms around Draco. " It's just awful. I can't stop thinking about all my worst memories. And I just feel like I'll feel this awful forever"

"Eat the chocolate frog I promise it'll pass Pans" Draco sympathized. Guiding Pansy back to her seat as she began to nibble on the chocolate. 

Draco saw her visibly relax and knew that soon it would be safe for him to return to his own compartment. He was slightly worried that Vince and Gregg would get off to an awful start on their new mission of being nice, with "Loony Lovegood" in their compartment. Luckily her nickname hadn't spread outside the Ravenclaw house just yet but he knew that she was a bit off which was something Draco had trained the friends to pick on others for. 

_Any way to prove yourself as superior to others._ Draco thought disdainfully

"Well... I better return to Crabbe and Goyle," Draco reluctantly stood, 

"Oh leave those stupid boys. I barely heard from you this summer hols and I need to hear all about what you did," she finished with a dramatic flourish.

Draco truly missed Pansy and all her dramatic ways. "Yes well I did leave Blaise with them and surely he is in desperate need of intellectually stimulating conversation after spending time with them."

"Alright but we're staying up all night tonight and discussing everything I've missed," Draco assented and then rushed back to his own compartment. 

To his surprise, Vince and Gregg seemed to be caught up in some story Luna was telling. They were eating up every word she said about nargles while Blaise only looked at Draco skeptically. Draco gave him an amused smile as he sat down on the other side of Blaise. 

***

The rest of the train ride had gone rather well and following a rather boring sorting, especially as it was the second time Draco had sat through it, they were now into their first Hogwarts feast of the year. Vince and Gregg enthusiastically waved to someone behind and Draco and to his surprise when he turned around he saw it was Luna.

_ This may be the start of the world's most unusual friendship,  _ Draco thought.

Although Draco supposed that Vince and Gregg had been rather innocent boys mainly caring about food and games before their parents and Draco had put a heavy emphasis on the dark arts and pureblood supremacy. Maybe it wasn't that unusual of a friendship, after all, the boys had been used to clinging onto the smartest person around them and while Luna's areas of expertise were rather odd you couldn't deny that she was very knowledgeable about the subject. 

On their way out of the feast, Blaise pulled Draco aside. "You may be able to fool Crabbe and Goyle with that neutrality nonsense but I know you better Draco. What are you up to?"

Draco should have known Blaise would see right through his excuses he was in Slytherin, and not just because it's where his parents wanted him. But Draco was in Slytherin too and he knew just how much he could safely give away to Blaise without ruining his plans or making the boy think he was insane. 

"Look Blaise, after being in school with Potter for 2 years-each of which he has managed to beat the Dark Lord in some form, all before the age of 13-has led me to rethink where my family has given their loyalty. I merely want to give myself another option. I know that Potter already hates me but if he even has a slight chance of beating the Dark Lord for good, I really don't want to finish this thing on his bad side. It's going to take a complete personality shift but it's my future standing at stake so I figure if being nice to a few mudbloods could maintain my family's status then it'll be worth it." Draco then turned with a harsh look he rarely gave Blaise, "I don't want this getting out if anyone with Death eater parents found out my true motive it would not only be devastating to me but also to my parents" 

Blaise nodded, seemingly still not totally convinced but less unsure than he was before.

"That reminds me, it's probably best I stop referring to them as mudbloods, at least in public, and also if you could spread the word for others not to say it in my presence. I really would rather not have to call out my housemates, especially for what's nothing more than a simple fallback plan." Draco finished what was essentially just thinking out loud.

"Sure," Blaise asserted, and then "Pans invited me to your common room sleepover but she said that we should try to give Gregg and Vince the slip. Reckon she doesn't want to end up talking about quidditch and sweets all night." 

"Yeah," Draco smiled, actually excited to spend time with his friends even if they were younger than the versions he knew.

*** 

They spent the whole night talking about their summers. Pansy’s trip to France and Blaise complained about his mother's new beau and Draco even mentioned a possible fairy necklace he had seen at the manor.  _ I am never staying up all night again _ Draco thought, thoroughly regretting not trying harder to get them all to sleep when he saw that it was 3. 

Sitting down at the Slytherin table for breakfast Vincent handed him his term schedule. 

“Why didn’t you invite me and Gregg last night Draco?” Vince asked seeming genuinely upset by Draco leaving him out.

“Yeah, we were planning on telling you everything Luna told us while you were out of the compartment. Plus she told us that she could get us her father's newspaper.” 

At that Draco turned to Gregg a bit in shock, “ you're planning on reading something? Not for class? You two hardly read for your assignments. I heard that you got a first-year to do your homework last year.” 

“Yeah well we were mostly planning on looking at the pictures, wanna see what a narggle's looks like, right Vince?” Gregg sputtered indignantly and Vince finished, “We can read we just hate reading all the boring stuff for class.” 

“Alright,“ Draco responded, “and I’m sorry we didn’t invite you. We just figured you would get bored talking about Paris robe fashion or annoying, but handsome old men”

At that, both boys scrunched up their faces in disgust. “I s’pose you may have been right to not invite us then,” Gregg stated and he seemed to really mean it clearly hating the idea of being subjected to what he considered girly talks. 

Just then Draco saw Hagrid come in and he was reminded about his goal of befriending Harry Potter. The bloody ferret over the giant's shoulder was an unavoidable reminder of one of his mistakes in his previous third year.

If he didn’t want Harry to hate him more he could simply not insult Buckbeak or Hagrid during his lesson but Draco needed to reduce Potters ire. He would have to come to the lesson eager and ready to learn. To start with he had to teach his fellow Slytherins how to open their books. Slytherins started their day with Transfigurations and then Care of Magical Creatures followed after lunch so Draco had Vince and Gregg tell-all Slytherins in Care of Magical Creatures to meet outside the castle before class. 

***

Transfigurations had been a bit boring other than the fact that Draco was now certain that most at least some of his magical ability had followed him into his younger body. The spell which had taken a number of tries and quite a bit of magical effort for him to achieve the first time around was as simple as though it was a third-year spell. Which it was but by Draco's body he was a third-year trying to achieve a third-year spell who was actually a graduated 7th year performing a third-year spell.

Draco now waited sitting against the rough stone wall of the castle. He idly kicked a rock as the last of his classmates joined him. Checking his pocket watch which father had given him before he began first year, Draco noted that they had about 10 minutes before class began.

“Perfect, now I wanted to teach you all how to open the book for this course and set a couple of ground rules.” While the older students hadn’t viewed Draco with too much reverence, those who were younger or at an age with him in Slytherin often looked up to him as somewhat of a leader. 

_ Either because they fear my father or because they crave my family's wealth and status, Draco _ thought snidely. Draco told them how to open their books and demonstrated how easy it was. 

“Now you may have heard that I am trying to craft a new image, one that is more neutral and I would like you all to either follow my lead or stay out of my way in it. I believe the phrase is if you have nothing nice to say it is better to say nothing at all. Which I hope you all will take to heart in my presence, as I would hate to have to go against the words of my own housemates.” Draco finished and most everyone seemed content to follow along with Draco’s newest scheme. Draco nodded feeling quite good about how this year had gotten off to and then began the hike down to the hut which was gone in his time. 

The rocky path was just as difficult to navigate as Draco remembered and about halfway down he spotted Potter and his gaggle of Gryffindors. He could just hear Potter saying, “He’s up to something, I'm telling you, he would usually have said at least 10 rude or offensive things by this time.”

He knew that Potter was talking about him, it was really nothing less than he expected. Even though they only had 2 years of a history with each other they had managed to become solid enemies by this point. Not for the first time, Draco cursed the necklace for not bringing him back further so he could have a real fresh start.

Draco heard Weasley clear his throat, nodding back towards him clearly indicating to Potter and Granger that their subject of conversation was right behind them. Draco just did a stilted nod and muttered “Potter”, “Granger” and “Weasley” as he crept past them towards where he knew this first class was taking place.

He could faintly hear Potter saying, “told you so,” to his friends but Draco only thought that it was good that Potter was catching onto his changed behavior early on. The suspicion would only cause him to pay closer attention to Draco and then he would see how nice Draco could really be. 

When they had all gathered around the Hut the half-giant called out, “C’mon, now, get a move on!Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin’ up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!” 

The large man led them towards the forest and around to the paddock where Draco knew he would soon bring the beast who ravaged him his first third year.

“Everyone gather ‘round the fence here!” he called. “That’s it — make sure yeh can see — now, firs’ thing yeh’ll want ter do is open yer books —” 

Draco was pleased to see all the Slytherins studiously open their books; he even risked what he believed to be a polite smile over to Potter.

“What are you playing at Malfoy?” Potter called at him gathering Hagrid and the rest of the class's attention over to him.

“How’d you do that?” some Gryffindor Draco had never bothered learning the name of asked them skeptically.

Draco taking this as his moment to shine and show how seriously he took this class spoke up, "You just stroke the spine.” but as soon as the words left his mouth Draco realized how superior he was sounding. He thought that it's not really his fault though he’s spent so many years truly believing that he was the best that sometimes he still slipped into that tone.

“How do we know you aren’t just saying that to get the bloody book to bite us?” Ron bit back but then Hagrid piped in.

“No, Ron, ‘ehs right,” But even Hagrid gave him a wary look.

But if Draco was remembering right Hagrid seemed to look more confident in his lesson than he had the first time around. Maybe it was good to be nice to people.

“Now yeh’ve got yer books and yeh jus need the Magical Creatures. So I'll go an’ get ‘em” and he strode off into the forest.

“Maybe this class won’t be so bad this year I doubt Hagrid will lose limbs, unlike that dim wit they had last year.” Draco tested the waters trying to give a compliment that wasn’t too out of character.

Potter just muttered something to Weasley who nodded but granger eyed him curiously. Crabbe and Goyle were sneaking the sweets they had hidden in their robes so Draco feeling a bit like he didn’t know what to do opened his book and reread the part on hippogriffs.

Even at the time, Draco knew that he had caused his accident though he still somewhat blamed Hagrid for allowing a group of young teenagers around wild creatures with little less than a minute lesson on what to do. 

He was shocked out of his thoughts when he heard Lavender Brown let out a piercing squeal of “Oooooh!” while pointing to the opposite side of the paddock.

“And so it begins” Draco muttered under his breath.

The 12 total hippogriffs were smaller than Draco remembered but still quite large and the talons still caused Draco's heart to speed up. Looking into their orange eyes Draco was slightly unsure of himself he wondered if the hippogriffs could sense that he had been evil. When they looked into his eyes were they able to suss out your character is that why you shouldn’t blink? So they can perform some creature form of occlumency?

Draco stopped himself when he realized he was getting into Luna territory in terms of creature assessments. Although he decided to bring that up to Luna she’d probably love the theory. 

“Gee up, there!” Hagrid roared, shaking the chains and urging the creatures toward the fence where the class stood. Everyone drew back slightly as Hagrid reached them and tethered the creatures to the fence. 

“Hippogriffs!” Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. “Beau’iful, aren’ they?” 

Draco wanted to wholeheartedly disagree but he knew that it was just his old prejudices rearing their ugly head so he pushed that down and tried to see them how Hagrid saw them. It was something he had started doing at the end of the war when he was faced with the fact that the Dark Lord was really insane. Once he began to question the Dark Lord he started to question everything he was taught so every now and then Draco would do a thought experiment and try to see things from another person's eyes. Mostly it was just what would Harry think about this or why does Harry think mudbloods are so good. Why does Harry like muggles if the ones he lives with seem so awful? 

As he gazed at the hippogriffs Draco could see how their gleaming coats gave an odd sort of majesty to what should be a ridiculous combination of horse and bird. And no one could deny that they weren’t regal in the way they held so tightly to their manners.

“So,” said Hagrid, rubbing his hands together and beaming around, “if yeh wan’ ter come a bit nearer…” 

No one seemed to want to. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, however, approached the fence cautiously. Surprising quite a few people, Draco also took a few steps forward.

“Now, firs’ thing yeh gotta know abou’ Hippogriffs is, they’re proud,” said Hagrid. “Easily offended, Hippogriffs are. Don’t never insult one, ‘cause it might be the last thing yeh do.” 

“Yeh always wait fer the Hippogriff ter make the firs’ move,” Hagrid continued. “It’s polite, see? Yeh walk toward him, and yeh bow, an’ yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh’re allowed ter touch him. If he doesn’ bow, then get away from him sharpish, ‘cause those talons hurt.”

“Right — who wants ter go first?”

Again just as he remembered everyone in the class backed away including Hagrids trio of friends. 

And Draco couldn’t help it, “Scared Potter?” 

Like always, those words infuriated Potter and he spun to face Draco, “No, but I assume you are.”

Draco couldn’t admit it but he was scared and he was angry. Angry at himself for antagonizing Potter on the first day when he was supposed to be nice to him.

“No, in fact, if Hagrid will let me I would like to go first” Draco silently cursed himself while he looked at Hagrid pleading with his eyes that he would not let him.

Hagrid for his part seemed quite uncomfortable, “Well - er, Yeh did know how ter’ open yer book, so I guess yeh can give et a try” He Scanned the paddock and landed on Buckbeak again. 

Draco could hear Hermione saying, “I don’t think he’ll do anything at least not in front of Hagrid” it almost sounded as though she was holding Harry back.

“I don’t know ‘mione maybe he’s right we don’t want him ruining Hagrid's lesson”

But Hagrid was leading Buckbeak over “Right then — let’s see how yeh get on with Buckbeak.” 

“Easy now, Malfoy,” Hagrid said quietly, “Yeh’ve got eye contact, now try not ter blink… Hippogriffs don’ trust yeh if yeh blink too much…” 

Draco had done this once before and had gotten it right up until he insulted the animal so he tried to have confidence that he could do it again. He stared unblinking into the animal he had once sentenced to death's eyes.

“Tha’s it,” said Hagrid. “Tha’s it, Malfoy… now, bow.” 

Draco gave a bow making sure he put as much honest graciousness as he could and with bated breath, he stood back up and looked at Buckbeak. To Draco's surprise, the Hippogriff went into a bow similar to the one he had once been jealous of Harry so easily getting.

“Good nah go an give him a pet” Hagrid called and Draco remembered this being about when Hagrid had Harry ride Buckbeak. Draco wasn’t sure if he should be offended or grateful that Hagrid wasn’t making him ride the slightly terrifying animal.

Draco scratched the bird behind its ear and then returned to the crowd of awed students. 

“What?” he stated, “ just treat them with respect and they’ll do the same.”

Hermione the ever-constant know it all was the one to respond, “ were surprised you, Draco Malfoy, was able to understand that and give respect to anything other than a pureblood.” 

“Yeah, is buckbeak a secret Slytherin with great connections in the ministry?” Ron butted in even less cordially than Hermione. 

Harry still looked in shock but Draco just sniffed and airily turned away from them knowing he couldn’t change their minds overnight. 

Luckily Care of Magical Creatures carried on in a mostly uneventful way, though Draco was slightly surprised to see that Hagrid still had Harry ride a Hippogriff this one being a female aptly named ember for her red undertones in the glossy feathers. As Harry took off the sun danced off the Hippogriff’s wings in a way that truly looked as though she was on fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I only have one more drafted chapter after this one as I have been working on this fanfiction for a couple of months before I actually decided to publish it. I hope that editing and posting these chapters will motivate me to keep going as I am already books ahead in planning out the plot for the series. I give props to all the fanfic writers I have read, it's hard to plan out a plot and even more difficult to put it down in a way that can be read as though it's really happening. I will be continuing this story to the end no matter what but I can't guarantee a new chapter every week.


	4. Chapter 3

Draco had not been looking forward to his first Defense Against the Dark Arts Class, he remembered facing the Bogart his first 3rd year in what was a laughable fear. The Bogart had become one of the Albino Peacocks from Malfoy Manor. A truly innocent fear which had been replaced with much deeper fears. 

Draco had contemplated what his new greatest fear would be. His own death? retaking the Dark Mark? Losing his mother? facing Voldemort? All these things frightened him and haunted his dreams.

 _How do you make your dead mother into something funny?_ Draco wondered.

Draco now wished he had told Professor Lupin he was unable to participate, but he had been unable to bring himself to tell the teacher exactly why he didn’t want to show his fear to his class. Why hadn’t he lied? He could still lie and say he wasn’t feeling well. But as the line in front of him grew shorter, the laughter of his classmates grated on his frayed nerves and Draco resolved himself. How could he stop The Dark Lord from returning if he couldn’t face a bogart version of himself? 

Finally, when he felt his nerves would eat him alive he was standing in front of what used to be a scorpion with a toilet brush instead of a stinger and what now was something he hoped to never see again. 

In Hagrid's arms was the limp body of 17-year-old Harry Potter and though in reality, Harry had not truly been dead Draco knew that this version was truly dead. This version was the one Draco had dreamed of once or twice, the version where that feeling of ultimate dread never left.

Harry was dead and the last hope for defeating Voldemort was gone. It wouldn’t be long until The dark lord would torture Draco and his parents to death. The last sight of failure for the dark lord was wiped out and he would no longer need the support of those who failed him. He would have the support of all of wizarding London, and soon the whole world. Draco sat down letting the fear and grief consume him. 

“Ridikulus,” Professor Lupin must have stepped in. Saving the class from the bogart.

“Yes, Well that should end class, I still need this Bogart for the Huffelpuffs next period. I expect a footlong parchment, using what you learned in class today and your text, on bogarts by next class.”

Draco heard a few groans and some whispers questioning what Dracos Bogart was and why it affected him so much. 

“Ms. Parkinson, Leave me to handle Mr. Malfoy. I assure you he will be fit as a fiddle in no time.”

Draco heard Professor Lupin pull a chair over next to him but he didn’t look up only focusing on calming his still erratic breathing. 

“Draco, do you want to talk about what’s wrong?” Lupin's voice sounded kind, it wasn’t something Draco was used to. After all, he had spent his original 3rd year bullying the professor. 

Draco let out a shuddered breath nodding but not saying another word.

“Well do you want to talk about why your fear is Hagrid holding what appears to be an unconscious adult Potter?”

“Dead. Not unconscious, he’s dead.” Draco finally ground out.

“Are you afraid you’ll kill him? I know you don’t get along but I can assure you that if you're afraid of killing him you likely don’t have it in you. I know it's hard having someone you haven’t gotten along with, for what I hear has been 2 years now, but it’s not too late to change things.” 

Draco contemplated letting Lupin believe that this was what Bogart meant. It would definitely be better than telling the Professor he was from the future and was afraid that Voldemort would kill the world's savior. 

Would it endear Draco to the Professor, and later Harry’s mentor, to have him believe that he thought himself capable of murder enough to fear it?

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes,” this Draco knew was the truth but he followed it with, “I can’t become like that. If You-Know-Who returns or some other dark lord crops up I can’t do it. I can’t kill people. I hate Potter so much but I can’t kill him.” He hoped the mix of truth and lie would be enough to fool Lupin into liking and possibly helping him to befriend Potter.

The professor seemed to be taken in by Draco’s words. “You are not what I expected Draco Malfoy. It can be hard to change when you’ve built up a reputation. One bad meeting and then a number of choices can lead you down a path that when you mature realize is not the path you want for yourself. Change is hard, but not impossible. I’ve seen people who have decided later in life than you did that they didn’t like who they had become and then with some work they changed and with time people took notice and their reputation changed with them.” 

Draco breathed a sigh of relief, though Lupin seemed to enjoy making rambling speeches that hinted at people Draco felt he should know, the core of it made Draco feel hopeful. Sure Lupin hadn’t experienced Draco in his ‘My father will hear about this’ persona but if just one person believed that he was good then his influence could extend to others. 

“My door is always open to you, but you’re already late enough to potions, and while I don’t have class this period I’m sure Professor Snape would mind me keeping you much longer.” 

Lupin stood from his chair and offered Draco a hand. Draco flushed realizing he was still sitting on the floor and stood quickly. 

“A pass?” Draco questioned.

“Yes,” Lupin quickly scribbled a note on a slip of parchment he tore of a scroll he had laying on his desk.

***

Severus was not happy to see him come in late but Draco could tell there was the slightest hint of worry in his eyes as he peered at him over his book.

“Take a seat Mr. Malfoy and copy down the notes before you begin brewing the potion,” Severus motioned to the empty seat next to Nott. Of course Blaise and pansy and Gregg and Vince had already paired off. Theo usually brewed alone, studious as he was he didn’t want anyone else screwing up his potion or taking the credit for his work. 

“What happened in defense?” Nott whispered when Draco took his seat.

Draco wasn’t prepared for this, how does one explain away a fear of their mortal enemy dying. Lupin’s excuse may win him points with Gryffindors but it certainly won’t with Slytherins. 

“It’s none of your business or do you want the whole school to know what you told me last easter gala?” Draco internally cringed. It was a low blow, threatening to expose Nott's father's infidelity, but Draco was still not feeling like himself and he didn't have the patience to deal with unwanted questions. 

“God, Draco I don’t care that much,” But Draco saw the hurt in his eyes and hoped that Theo could forgive him for this. 

“This is not a team effort, Malfoy, but if you would like to help someone you can stay after and help me rearrange my stores.” Draco was stunned for a moment. Severus never reprimanded him, there must be some other reason the potion master wanted Draco to stay after class. 

That was when Draco remembered his mother mentioned asking Severus to teach him occlumency.

Draco nodded and tried to come up with an excuse for his advanced knowledge during the rest of his brewing.

***

Draco slowly put his materials away waiting for the class to file out. Once the last student left Severus walked to the door that led to his private office opening it and waiting for Draco to enter first.

Draco looked around taking in the familiar setting of his favorite teacher and godfather’s private offices. The jars containing various potions and rare potion ingredients on shelves behind the dark mahogany desk gave the office an eerie aura but it was comforting to Draco. The damp dark place reflected its owner in a way that showed how long the potions master had held this position, nearly as long as Draco had been alive. 

Snape sat in one of the two wooden chairs next to the table with a bubbling cauldron sat on top of it and Draco followed suit. 

"I assume you know that I won't actually be having you organize my potion stores," Severus stated with a hint of a smile he reserved for those closest to him.

"Yes, my mother mentioned you training me in occlumency," Draco replied back nonchalantly.

"Yes, well, while I don't fully understand why a third year would need to protect their mind, I'm not one to disagree with Narcissa. Especially when it comes to her only son." Draco just nodded.

"I suppose we should begin," and then without warning, Severus let out a "Legilimens."

Had Draco not been trained in occlumemcy by Bellatrix Lestrange he may have been caught off guard by Snape's quick casting. As it was though, his mind remained tightly locked up. He could feel the subtle probing at his mental wards but Snape must not have been trying very hard, likely trying to get a feel for Draco's innate wards.

"Once mother mentioned asking you for help, I decided to read up on occlumency and spent much of the summer practicing." Snape only nodded and tried the spell again. 

This time Draco could feel the pressure against his wards strengthen. Still, it was no match for the mental wall Draco had been forced to fortify after numerous Cruciates curses from his dear aunt Bella. 

Severus appeared to be becoming aggravated by his lack of progress into Draco’s mind. Hid strong brow was now creased and his grip had tightened on his wand. He leaned forward in his chair and Draco only uncrossed his legs and sat back situating himself for the drawn out process that was sure to be fruitless. Perhaps he should have declined his mother's offer. 

Again and again, snape tried Legilimens sometimes asking a question or two trying to throw Draco off or break his concentration. But that was the thing, Draco didn’t have to be concentrating to shield his mind living in a constant state of fear helped him hone this skill nicely. 

Draco getting a bit bored offhandedly said, “unless your willing to Crucio me, I doubt you’ll get very far.” 

The look on Severus’s face showed him that this was the wrong thing to say. Draco looked around fully recognizing that he was in the past, and only 13, he shouldn’t have intimate knowledge of the cruciates. Draco tried to laugh and play it off as a joke.

“I know you aren’t joking Draco, I don’t know who has taught you how to occlude but your skills are far beyond anything you could learn from a book. And a book certainly could not cast Unforgivables on you.” Snape let that sink in for a moment then continued, “As you are 13 and your mother does not know about it, I will need you to tell me who has been teaching you and why they thought it was prudent to use an unforgivable curse on a 13-year-old.” Snape had stood from his seat walking past Dracos chair and to the seat behind his desk. He sat down and folded his hands on top of the desk.

Draco didn’t like the shift in demeanor, Severus was no longer his godfather teaching him a new skill but rather a concerned professor, worried about what mess his student had gotten into. 

“I can’t tell you,” said Draco, but a troubling thought at the back of his mind said why couldn’t he? But then there was Dumbledore and no matter how sure Harry was about Severus’s allegiances he still couldn’t trust the man to not accidentally mess things up. No there were already the changes Draco was making adding Snape would add Dumbledore and then whomever they decided should be privy to this knowledge in their little anti-death eater club. 

“Yes, you can. They can’t hurt you and you as a Slytherin should have more sense to understand that keeping their secret only benefits the one who hurt you.” Severus seemed to have some sincere concern if the crease between his brows was any indication. 

Draco wondered what exactly Snape thought had happened over the summer, he was talking to him the way you might talk to a victim of a crime, a victim of a predator.

Draco scoffed, “ I’m not protecting anyone but myself. I trust you uncle Sev, but I can’t trust Dumbledore or even my parents.” 

At that the professor looked a bit startled, “why can’t you trust your parents Draco, it wasn’t Lucius who cursed you was it?”

“Of course not!” Draco was affronted, his father may have been a Death Eater but he still cared deeply for Draco.

“Well just tell me Draco I assure you no one will have to know,” Draco could tell that there was an _unless it’s severe_ left unsaid. But that phrase gave Draco pause, he did know one way to tell snape without anyone else finding out.

“I’ll only tell you if you make an Unbreakable Vow to tell no one what I tell you unless you have my express permission,” Draco finished with a smile, quite pleased that he had found a way to both tell Severus and keep the secret from spreading.

Severus was not impressed, “I am afraid I can’t do that, I will need to tell the appropriate people if the allegations are serious enough.” 

Draco just shook his head and stated, “That is the only way I will tell you, and we both know there’s no way you could get it from my mind, I doubt you could lack the intention behind a Cruciates to truly break my concentration.” 

Severus mulled over Draco’s words, and while Draco wasn’t sure what he would decide he knew that they both knew that Draco was right. 

“Fine but I have one stipulation,” Severus paused and Draco nodded to show for him to continue, “you will answer all my questions tonight, both truthfully and completely.” 

Draco thought on it for a minute and then decided that if he was going to tell Snape anything he may as well tell him everything.

When Draco assented to Severus's stipulation the man walked over to the door and told Draco to head off to dinner and find someone he implicitly trusted to be the bonder for the unbreakable vow. 

"I know you trust Crabbe and Goyle, but I recommend you bring someone with a bit more skill, you are only third years after all." and with that Severus shut the door behind Draco.

*** 

Draco had chosen to ask Blaise because while he knew he would likely be the most suspicious of Draco's request he was the most skilled and the most trustworthy of Draco's friends. 

On the walk to Severus's office, Blaise had again asked, "why do you need me to perform an unbreakable vow between you and our head of house?" 

"I have told you, Blaise, it's not something I am ready to reveal yet but I assure you, you will be the first one I tell."

"You do know that I have never done this before and while I know the theory it is a bit different preforming the spell, wouldn't it be wise to ask someone older?" Blaise looked at Draco quizzically as he asked this.

Draco knocked on Severus's office doors as he answered Blaise, "Yes but I don't trust anyone who is older to keep this whole affair a secret."

Severus swung his office door open and bid them inside. 

"I would like to get straight to the unbreakable vow and then you can head back to the dorms following the completion of the charm Zabini." 

Both students nodded and Blaise withdrew his 13" Ivy wand and held it out not really knowing where to begin.

"I assume you know the incantation?" when Blaise nodded Snape continued with," Once Draco and I have clasped hand simply touch the tip of your wand to our hands say the incantation and we will do the rest."

Draco and Severus kneeled on the somewhat dusty office floor and grasped hands. Draco nearly shivered when he felt how cold Severus's hand was, and he hoped Severus couldn't tell how nervous he was by the sweat on his palms. 

Once Blaise and put the tip of his wand to where the two hands met Draco began, "Do you Severus agree to tell no one of what I say to you here tonight without my express permission?"

When Severus said yes a golden flame shot from Blaise's wand and wrapped around their clasped hands. Zabini looked startled but held his wand steady, while the two men simply stared into each other's faces, barely acknowledging the flame.

"and do you Draco agree to answer all questions I pose to you completely truthfully?" 

When Draco agreed a second flame wrapped around the hands crisscrossing with the first. The two nodded and then unclasped their hands setting the bond in stone. 

Snape stood walking Zabini to the door, muttering something to him, likely a warning against sharing what happened here tonight to anyone else. 

When the door had been shut and locked Severus walked to the chair behind his desk and sat at the same time as Draco did in a chair across from him.

“I am from the future,” even just saying that Draco felt ridiculous, there probably was a better way to put it, but seeing as it was the truth and the fastest way to get the truth out. Looking at Severus’s incredulous face showed that perhaps it had been the wrong thing to say.

“Maybe I should start from the beginning. A month ago I was in 1999, I had just finished a month-long stay in Azkaban awaiting the conclusion of a trail for my part in the second wizarding war against Voldemort. I watched my father die and then went to collect the few items I could for my mother and me. We had made parole with the help of Harry Potter's testimony. He won the war, Voldemort is gone forever, or so they say, but many were lost in the process. I gave my mother what I now know was a fairy necklace and somehow wished my way into the past and now I am hoping to better my future.”

Severus scoffed, “It is a very fanciful story, but I don’t have time for stories. I haven’t heard you make up such ridiculous tales since you were a young child claiming that Merlin had taken you on adventures to rescue Morgana.” 

Draco had expected this response, it really was an unbelievable concept, “I know it sounds ridiculous, but if I was lying I would be dead right now.” Draco let that set in, grateful for Severus' terms in the unbreakable vow.

Severus's eyes widened marginally, clearly taking in Draco’s meaning behind his words and being left with no other choice but to believe him. 

“The war was horrible, the Dark Lord was insane, and my family lived the consequences both at his hands and then at the hands of the Wizengamot. As I stated Potter won, but the victory wasn’t easy and it left much to be desired, but most of all I wanted to be on the right side this time around.” Draco finished waiting for Severus's inevitable questions.

“Why would you tell me this, I know Dumbledore believes me on his side but surely your father has told you that it was a ruse.”

“Yes, but I know the truth that up until the end even Voldemort did not know. Potter was the one, to tell the truth, he knew that you had been a spy ever since Voldemort killed his mother, whom he believed you loved until the end.”

Fury flashed across Severus’s face his lip curling almost as though he would let out a snarl. “He had no right to reveal that, how could I allow him to share that private information” but once he finished his small rant it seemed that he knew the answer to that question, “ah, I did not survive the war.” 

Draco just nodded. He was going to tell Severus more about it when he was interrupted.

“Don't tell me, it never proves wise to know how one will die.”

“Hopefully, if I have changed enough you won’t have to die. Hopefully, Voldemort will never even return.”

At that Severus had a sad smile, “I’m afraid that that may be impossible. You are from the future, are you aware of the prophecy?”

“Yes, my father was charged with retrieving it, but Potter destroyed it and got my father sent to Azkaban.” Draco was still bitter about these events. If Potter hadn’t managed to stop the Dark Lords forces with his dumb little group of 5th years then he wouldn’t have been dragged into everything so early. But he supposes this is just another reason to side with the boy.

“I didn’t put much stock into prophecy, but Voldemort did, and that is what gave it power, what still gives it power. It seems to point to him coming back and perhaps your time travel could change that but I’ve seen too much to be overly optimistic.” Severus at that moment looked years beyond his age of late ’30s but seeing how old he himself had looked at 18 he supposed that that was just a side effect of war. 

“Draco I do think we should tell the Headmaster, he has plans,” Severus almost sneered at that word plans, “I swear sometimes I think he would have made an excellent Slytherin, but no his plans are for the greater good, not for his own good.”

“It seems like you don’t like the Headmaster that much,” Draco was a bit shocked about that.

“No I do, I just don’t always agree with what he does but I know his intentions are for the best.” 

“Well, I know and trust you not Dumbledore and I have plans of my own.” Draco was reluctant to say this and despite knowing that he was now on the same side as Dumbledore, he just couldn’t bring himself to trust the man he had once been tasked to kill. 

“I know it may be hard to trust him but coming from the future you must know how knowledgeable the man is, all that I do I do at the order of the headmaster.”

“Ah, so professor dumbledore tells you to pick on Potter.” Draco snapped back with a chuckle that abruptly cut off when Draco saw the look on Severus’s face. 

“Draco I am sure you know that the Dark Lord is no laughing matter and what you have told me today is highly important knowledge that Dumbledore will need if he is to make the best plans he can.”

Perhaps Draco was being ridiculous but he was not going to change his mind. “The unbreakable vow ensures that only those I want to know will know, and I don’t trust Dumbledore, I don’t want him to know. I may look 13 but I'm an adult and I have gone through this all before, I have my own plans and I won't be able to enact them if I'm unsure what the headmaster has going on behind the scenes.” 

Draco would swear he had seen Severus roll his eyes if he was ever as obvious about his annoyance as that. “You may say you’re an adult but you are acting like a petulant child, no good person has to tell you that they’re good and no adult has to state it out loud either. I don’t know if its Slytherin's ambition making you want to claim the glory for defeating the Dark Lord all on your own but it just seems like idiot Gryffindor's overconfidence. You are not Merlin Draco, not even Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald on their own.” Severus finished severely and Draco felt just like a child being scolded.

“You don’t think I know that,” Draco stood from his chair, his voice rising, “ You don’t think I don’t know how alone I am in this world. The only one with a knowledge of how wrong things can go. Every person I tell is another person who can mess things up, another person who will add to the people who I am responsible for their death.” Draco could feel a panic attack building and the only thing holding it at bay was his anger. 

“I refuse to allow you to tell Dumbledor. Having you know is another change in the timeline and I don’t know how many changes can happen until my knowledge will be useless.” Draco had slammed his hands down on Severus’s desk and only then he realized that he had been walking across the room during his speech.

If he thought that his gesture and words had been intimidating he realized he was sorely mistaken when Severus spoke.

“If you are quite done, Draco. I understand that I can’t change your mind about the headmaster but I refuse to be spoken to like that in my own office by a student.”

Draco felt a pang in his heart, yes he was being a bit ill-mannered but he had just opened up about something that he had held onto so tightly. He felt empty now, He had expected something more, he wanted something else. When he questioned why he felt this way, what he could possibly want, he didn't know. Had he wanted Severus to hug him? To tell him that everything would be ok? Draco shuddered at the thought but he still felt that that may have made him feel better than he felt now.

Draco suddenly felt an odd pat on his back almost as though the person doing it was unused to this kind of contact. He looked up and into the pained looking face of Severus.

“I.... apologize Draco,” Severus struggled with the words, and Draco was certain that it was not something he was used to saying. “I am sure you are aware that I am not used to dealing with these types of situations. By that, I mean that I have not had much experience comforting people. I know this must be difficult. I am sorry you have to deal with this.”

Draco couldn’t help but laugh, it sounded like Severus was just repeating all the condolences he could think of. Draco’s laugh continued and became tinged with a bit of madness as he realized how ridiculous this whole situation was. Telling his once dead professor about how he was from the future and then his usually indifferent professor trying to comfort him after he nearly threw a tantrum. 

He stopped laughing when he felt the tears start to roll down his face. He wasn’t quite sure when the crazed laughter turned into sobs but he was now very aware that he was crying in front of someone for the first time since he had fought potter in 6th year. 

Grateful that Severus likely wouldn’t try to kill him via a slicing spell, Draco tried to calm down. He felt Severus hand him a vial of something, and when Draco turned it over he recognized it as being a calming draught. 

After drinking the potion Draco looked up and saw that Severus was looking at him with a very concerned expression. 

“As I’ve said I don’t have much experience with this but I want you to know that it’s ok to break down sometimes, and I will always be here for you.” Severus was more sincere than Draco had ever heard him and it brought a few more tears to his eyes. 

Draco was grateful when Severus only gave him a squeeze on the arm rather than a full hug. The small gesture meant so much coming from a man who never showed affection. 

“As much as I appreciate all that positions can do, we must find ways to handle our emotions without them, so I will give you a supply of them for when you experience a panic attack like that one but I think we should work on other ways to deal with the stress that is more than likely going to get worse.” 

Severus walked to a cabinet that had been stained by many potions over the century but may have at one point been a shiny mahogany color. The clinking of glass vials into a satchel was the only way Draco could tell what Severus was doing as the wide cabinet door was blocking him from Draco’s view. Severus quickly got what he needed and walked back over to Draco. 

Handing the satchel to Draco, Severus said, “There are 10 calming draughts in there which I hope will last for a while but don’t hesitate to come to me if you run out.” 

Looking at the clock on the wall Severus then said, “It is best you head off to bed now but don't hesitate to come to me for help, and please consider telling others what you have told me today. Working with others is not a weakness no matter what the Dark Lord may think." 


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter is a bit of filler but it's somewhat necessary as it is laying the groundwork for the major plot to start. I hope you enjoy this chapter and as always I'm very open to constructive criticism. Also I do want to give the chapters actual names but I'm not super good at naming this so if anyone has suggestions I'm super open to that.

The first few weeks of September flew by, with Draco making little progress with Potter. The few times they had interacted, Potter had goaded a few insults out of Draco, making Draco reluctant to speak to him.

Draco’s friends all seemed so content and happy with their lives, but they had started to notice that Draco was not his usual self.

Just last night, after Draco had closed the heavy green curtains around the dark mahogany bed frame, Greg had whispered to Draco, startling him out of his usual nighttime brooding. 

“Draco, are you alright?” Draco could tell that Gregory was standing just outside the curtains with his face pressed into them.

“Greg, you don’t have to whisper into the curtains. Just pull them open.” Draco sat up more and crossed his legs, leaving a space at the bottoms of his bed for his friend to sit. 

This reminded Draco of second year when he, Greg, and Vince would gather in Draco’s bed to whisper about who they thought could be the heir of Slytherin. It had all been great fun at the time, but it now made Draco sick to think of how gleefully he had thought about muggle-borns dying. His first sight of death had made him realize that it was not something to take joy in even if they are your enemy. 

Greg had sat down in the time Draco had been reminiscing in the past and now was staring at Draco.

“What?” Draco said a little harshly.

“You're always doing that now, just thinking. You rarely have fun with us anymore. I know it's not as fun now that we can’t pick on mudbloods, but me and Vince have found ways to be happy. Why are you even doing this if it makes you all sad?” Greg seemed so sincere, and it made Draco feel both amused and oddly touched. 

Draco hated that he didn’t know how to respond. He felt like this more and more often lately. Keeping so many secrets made it hard to say anything for fear that he would give away too much. He spent so much time thinking of what to say that he wasn’t surprised that even his most unobservant friends had begun to notice.

“I don’t know, Greg. It’s not that I really miss picking on mudbloods. I just have been feeling so unlike myself. It’s not bad; I’m just not used to it.” Draco finished a bit lamely.

Greg looked at him pityingly, and Draco couldn’t help but feel a bit insulted.

“What is bothering you so much,” and then Greg lowered his voice, even more, looking around as though he could see through the curtains into the other beds to see if anyone was awake. “Me and Vince spoke about it, and we noticed that you stare at Potter all the time. And you’ve been giving him these weird looks like you’ve got something you're dying to tell him half the time, and then the other half you look at him like he’s your dying gram.” Goyle looked a bit ashamed, probably remembering when Draco had lost his Grandmother and cried to him and Vince for hours. 

Draco was at a loss for words; he couldn’t tell Greg the truth, but what lie would satisfy him without making Draco feel like a berk. Trying to draw from past Draco’s times of feeling at least somewhat similarly distressed, he began.

“If I tell you something, you have to promise that no one outside of you, Vince, Pansy, and Blaise, hears about it, got it? And I know that you’ve become close to Lovegood, but she can’t know,” Greg looked like he would protest, but a sharp look from Draco closed his mouth.

“Have you ever had a crush? One you knew was wrong?” Draco felt a bit silly saying this, but he distinctly remembered having a panic attack fourth year when he realized that not only was he not straight, but he had a massive crush on his enemy Harry Potter.

Greg, for his part, did not look as though he had any idea what Draco was talking about. 

“Um, no… But Luna says that if it's love, then it can’t be wrong,” Greg looked like he had just answered a very difficult question on a quiz, one that he was certain he had gotten right. 

Draco sighed and shook his head, “But what if they aren’t… aren’t exactly female.” Draco knew that wizarding society was relatively accepting of queer people but Purebloods couldn’t stand anything that would stop the continuation of Pureblood lines.

To his surprise, Greg was wholly nonplussed by this, “ Yeah, but like Luna says, Love can’t be wrong.” 

Of all the things Draco had expected to change in this timeline, a Hippy Greg was not one of them. Perhaps it was really Greg that was dealing with crushes.

“Do you like Luna?” Draco asked, bringing his voice back down to a whisper.

“I dunno,” Greg started, “I’ve never liked anyone like that. Other than Luna, I think girls are pretty annoying, but it doesn’t really matter Because Luna’s a lesbian.”

“You’ve really learned a lot from Luna, haven’t you?”

Greg shrugged, “You’ve been spending so much time moping around, and when you aren’t doing that, you’re hanging out with Pansy and Blaise. Me and Vince got bored, and Luna never has anyone else to hang-out with either.” 

Draco felt a bit bad for neglecting his old friends in favor of trying to make new ones.

“Well,” Greg said, perking up, “At least you have Halloween to look forward to and the first Hogsmead trip too. Maybe you could ask whatever boy you like to go with you.” 

And Draco was just starting to think that Greg was becoming observant and intelligent; he only smiled and bid Greg off to bed. 

While the conversation with Greg had lifted his spirits somewhat something he had said was nagging at the back of his head. It had been a short conversation, and Draco ran through it again in his mind. He had mentioned Halloween and the Hogsmeade trip. Why did that seem so important? Suddenly he remembered, Halloween was the time when Sirius Black first managed to break into the castle.   
If Draco could only get to Sirius before he fails to break into the Gryffindor common room, he could get some idea on how he could use him to get closer to Potter. 

Coming back to the morning, Draco rushed to finish the porridge that he had slowly and mindlessly been eating. 

He looked across the table at Greg and Vince, who had been fighting over some kind of pastry. They both turned to Draco, and Vince snatched the pastry out of Greg’s hand. Greg looked momentarily sad before he said, “Mind if I have a look at your potions essay? Luna tried to help me, but I think she may have given up.”

Draco nodded but added, “Just this once, if you want to copy someone’s homework you’ll have to find someone else. I think snape will notice if you’re potions essay suddenly increases drastically in quality.” 

“Oh, I know. That’s why I usually get a younger student to do them. But now we have to be all nice, so I don’t know what to do for my homework.” 

“Yeah, We’ve been failing most of our assignments this year,” Vincent didn’t seem too upset by this. 

“I didn’t say you have to be nice, only that you can’t be insulting to muggle-born,” Draco knew it was petty, but he really didn't want to see Slytherin lose house points because his two friends were intellectually deficient. 

They both perked up at that, and Vince said, “Great, I already know that Malthus will be willing to do my homework this year.” 

***

As Draco walked to the Defense classroom, he pondered what he knew about Sirius Black. It wasn’t much. All of the writings on Black were done after the debacle with Pettigrew and painted him as this ultimate Slytherin who had been evil all along and had tricked the Hat into placing him into Gryffindor so he could bring down the good guys from the inside. 

Draco was certain that this could not be true as he knew that it was Pettigrew to betray the Potters, and his mother and Bellatrix had never had a kind word to say about their disowned cousin. Draco had managed to find out that Lupin had been rather close to Sirius and James Potter, and he was trying to come up with a way to subtly bring the conversation up.

Draco’s friends had questioned him about why he was speaking with a Professor on the weekend but he had only cited a question on his Kappa homework. Once he had entered the defense classroom, Draco saw that Lupin was not in his office but rather sitting at his desk. Approached his teacher who appeared to be grading papers. 

When Draco reached his desk, he had to clear his throat in order to grab his professor’s attention.

“Ah, Draco, what can I do for you?” Lupin smiled pleasantly as he quirked his head to the side. When the man’s grown out dusty colored hair fell across his face, Draco was struck by the unbidden thought that lupin was actually quite attractive. Draco internally kicked himself, reminding himself that he was 13 now and it was both inappropriate and unhelpful to have a crush on his teacher. 

“I really don’t want to bother you. I understand if you don’t wish to talk about it…” Draco was not usually this timid and he wasn’t sure if it was to help endear himself to the professor so he could get his answer’s or if it was brought on by his newfound attraction to the man.

“You can ask me anything you wish, though I can’t promise to answer any questions.” Again the man gave him his signature disarming smile.

“It’s about Sirius Black,” Lupin’s eyes narrowed at that, and Draco could see that he looked a bit sad, “I was just wondering if you really believe that he did it? You know gave-away the Potter’s whereabouts to You-Know-Who?”

Lupin seemed to have to rein in his anger before he answered Draco, “I don’t see why this is any of your business, but I’m sure you already know what I am about to say. He was the secret keeper and the only one who could have given them away. He killed his best friend and the mother of his godson, and then he murders our other completely innocent friend along with a whole host of muggles. Before all this happened, I would have never believed him capable of hurting James in any way, but I guess I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did. Just like you want to change for the better, some people change for the worse.”

Draco mulled this all over his mind, stuck on how Wormtail was able to tell the Dark Lord where the Potter’s were if he wasn’t the secret keeper. Suddenly it was all so clear and obvious that he felt stupid for not seeing it before. 

“But what if he wasn’t the secret-keeper? What if someone else was, and Sirius Black took the fall for it?”

“I really wish that was possible, but I don’t understand why he wouldn’t have shared that earlier, and I don’t understand why he would want to kill Harry now?”

Draco didn’t know what to say. He himself had wondered why the man would be acting so suspiciously following his escape from Azkaban.

“I don’t know. Something just doesn’t sit right with me. Can I share something that you must promise to tell no one?” Draco tried to give his most pleading innocent look to the man.

Remus only nodded.

“Say hypothetically my father was not under the imperious curse when he worked for He-Who-Must-Not-Be Named, and hypothetically I had heard him say that Sirius Black was never a servant of the Dark Lord but rather someone named wormtail had given away the Potters. But as I can’t tell anyone that my father was a true servant of You-Know-who, I can’t exactly tell people without proof that this random worm tail person who I have no idea how they could have found out where the Potters were.” 

At this, Remus looked a bit frightened, which Draco was expecting as no one knew the nicknames for Remus’s group of friends.

“I don’t know where you heard that name Draco, but I am afraid that you involve yourself in things that are far beyond your years. If what you’re saying is true, and I am hard-pressed to believe that you are at least somewhat mistaken. Then you have dangerous information that many people would not want you sharing.” 

Draco was touched by the care the professor put towards his student even after Draco had pried into his most difficult secrets. 

“I will think about what you told me, but I don’t want you spreading this information, and I think that you should put it out of your mind and let the adults handle it.” 

Just as Lupin was rising from his chair to guide Draco out of the Room, Potter burst in. 

“Professor-” but Harry’s words cut off when he spotted Draco. His eyes narrowed, and then he spat out, “ what are you doing here, Malfoy? Trying to trick the new professor with your nice guy act? When are you going to give it up and admit that it was all some scheme?”

Draco was again disheartened at Harry’s words, but the old anger bubbled up, and he quickly replied, “ it’s none of your business,  _ Potter _ , and I don’t understand why you can’t accept that I have matured.”

Draco gave Potter a haughty look as he inadvertently took a step closer to him.

“It’s my business if you're up to something, and I don’t care if you’ve “matured” you don’t get to get off that easy after all you’ve done.” Harry’s words were said with such venom that Draco was taken aback. 

The look of pure malice was evident in Potters emerald eyes, which Draco now realized were startlingly close to his own.

While he hadn’t expected Potter to immediately forgive him, he had not expected the extreme anger at Draco’s change in behavior. 

Lupin took this pause in the argument to step in.

“Boys, while I don’t expect you to be friends, I do expect civility while you are in my classroom.” He then looked at Draco while saying, “While I enjoyed our conversation Draco, I would like to give Harry and I’s conversation the same privacy I allotted our’s.”

Draco nodded and left the class, but he stayed behind, pressing his ear to the door once he had left. 

Although the voices were muffled, Draco could still make out most of the conversation. Whatever Harry had originally been there to discuss seemed to no longer matter as he was contented to speak solely on Draco.

He first asked what Draco and professor lupin had been discussing. When the man didn't answer, for which Draco was immensely grateful, Harry decided to go into a rant on how Draco couldn’t be trusted and how his behavior this year was a complete 180 from previous years. 

Draco felt flush with shame as Potter told Lupin how he had insulted the Weasleys for being poor and gloated about Hermione being petrified.

It surprised Draco that Potter had even known that Malfoy had wanted to help the Heir of Slytherin. Once Draco could no longer handle hearing all sadly accurate disparaging comments, Draco turned away from the door and headed back to his dorm forgoing the days fun activities in favor of moping about the loss of his only non-Slytherin supporter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have a general idea of the plot but a lot of the character interactions come out as a surprise even to me as I'm writing. The Luna, Crabbe, and Goyle friendship was completely unexpected as I really wanted her to be friends with Draco, but when I started writing the train scene it just came to me and I really liked it. It was the same with the relationship between Draco and Lupin. The whole crush is super minor and there will be no relationship between lupin and Draco past a mentoring one. Chapters will be hopefully at least once every 2 weeks but I will be trying to post more often I just can't guarantee any sooner as I'm a college student heading into finals.


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I'm so sorry it took almost 2 months for me to get this chapter out. I wish it was longer to make up for the fact that it took so long but I figure putting it up now is better than putting it off in hopes that I have something more to add. as I've said I will be finishing this fanfiction whether or not people like it, but I am hoping that there is not as long of a wait between chapters.

“Draco, hurry up!” Blaise intoned from outside the green silk drapes around Draco’s bed, “ I don’t want to miss breakfast, If you don’t get up soon Greg and Vince will be done before we get there, they left an hour ago.”

Draco bolted out of bed grabbing his outfit that he had laid out the night before. He rushed to put it on and jutted into the bathroom gasping as his bare feet touched the frigid tiles on the bathroom floor. 

The weather had taken a sharp turn towards cold as soon as it had become October and what used to be a welcome chill from being in the dungeon was now a very unwelcome downside to their house’s placement. 

Once dressed with his hair combed through Draco met Blaise in the common room and the two headed to Breakfast.

As they walked to the Great Hall Blaise droned on about his and Pansy’s latest bet, who could get the most invites to the first Hogsmeade trip. Draco only nodded here and there and Blaise seemed to be distracted enough to not notice.

Draco had been consumed lately with his thoughts of his approaching chance to meet Sirius Black. Although Draco had been happy to hear that Potter’s words to Professor Lupin had not alienated him from the man, it didn’t change the fact that Lupin was not willing to engage Draco in conversations about his old friend. 

As they approached the hall Draco spotted Harry coming down the stairs from what he assumed was where the Gryffindor common room was. 

Draco steeled himself and decided to just go for it.

“Potter,” Draco managed to keep his voice calm as he called to the other boy.

“Blaise I’ll meet you in the hall soon just have to catch up with Potter,” Blaise gave him a weird look that meant he was definitely going to as about this later, but left Draco’s side and headed through the open doors.

“What do you want Malfoy?” Potter then added coolly, “ Going to give up the act now that no professors are around?”

Draco took a deep breath and then started, “I’m serious about wanting to be nicer. I know that we got off on the wrong foot,”

At that Weasley butted in, “ Wrong foot, heh, you're a rat Malfoy and you always have been. You’re just like your Death Eater father, the only good I can say about you is that you at least didn’t try to kill my sister, though give it enough time and you still might.” 

Harry seemed to agree with his redheaded friend and Hermione didn’t seem too far off.

“Alright, I agree that things have been worse than just getting off on the wrong foot. I’ve been incredibly nasty to you,” And Draco turned specifically to Hermione now, “You especially Hermione, to say I’ve been a git to you would be an understatement. But you’re right Ron, my dad has some nasty beliefs and they were my beliefs until this summer. I see that I was wrong and I’m trying to be better.” Draco now turned back to Harry and stared into his eyes pleading that he would believe him. “Please just give me this chance to prove myself.”

Harry seemed unsure and after a moment he looked away from Draco’s eyes unwilling to meet them again. 

Ron seemed shocked to hear Draco’s admission, likely prepared for an attack and now at a loss for what to.

When Draco looked at Hermione she seemed somewhat touched at what he had said.

“I told you in my letter this summer that I was hoping that you’re sincere and your actions so far have mirrored your words. I’m not sure if I forgive you yet and I won’t try and convince them,” Hermione motioned at the two boys beside her, “but I'm willing to give you a chance to prove yourself.” 

Draco gave Hermione a sincere smile and she gave back a small smile.

*** 

Harry had stopped outright attacking Draco whenever they were near each other but he had replaced that with cool looks and on some occasions outright glares. Weasley had still called Draco out occasionally but as Draco was not as easily aggravated by Weasley, he had had an easier time just ignoring them. 

It was the morning of October 31st and Draco was pacing around his dormitory. Although he would like nothing more than to spend the day in Hogsmead trying to recapture the wonder and excitement the first visit to the town had brought him. Draco was nervous that he would miss his chance to intercept Sirius Black. 

Once his friends had all left for Breakfast, after once again asserting that Draco would not be coming to Hogsmeade, Draco had gone into a full-blown panic. He had no plan other than help Sirius Black cementing himself as part of Harry’s inner circle once the man had been cleared in Potter's eyes. 

Draco stopped pacing and instead began to tear through his trunk, finding the bag of calming draught’s that Severus had given him, Draco grabbed one of the last few and downed it in one gulp. As the unpleasant potion slinked down his throat, Draco felt a calming sense trail out. Once he felt the full effects of the potion Draco was able to think clearly again. He gave himself a short pep talk and then he was off to enact his plan. 

***

Draco had been sitting near the Gryffindor portrait hole for the past 8 hours. He had found the entrance after following a Gryffindor first year at the beginning of the month. Though he did not know the password, luckily he wouldn't need it in order to confront Sirius Black. 

Draco was currently under a particularly strong notice-me-not charm, that could only be averted if the person was specifically looking out for Draco. Draco had frequently used it in his 6th year, which made it all the more infuriating that Potter had often found him. Knowing he was constantly watched had made the year all the more stressful. 

It was nearly an hour after the feast had started, and Draco was starting to worry that something he had done had altered the timeline, meaning Sirius Black would not appear at his original times. 

Suddenly a faint patter of paws stepping up the stairs to Gryffindor tower caught his attention. Draco got his wand ready and waited. The great black dog had just reached the portrait hole when Draco sprung into action.

“Petrificus Totalis” and the dog went stick straight. Before the dog could topple over Draco had begun levitating him. He rushed down the steps the Dog had emerged from and ducked into the nearest unused classroom.

After a quick-locking spell, Draco began his speech, “ I know you’re Sirius Black, and I know you aren’t really here to kill Harry Potter. I also know that it was Peter Pettigrew who betrayed the Potters. I would like to help you in whatever way I can, so when I remove the body bind I would like for you to not try and escape.”

Draco could a deep breath hoping the man would listen to him. 

“Finite incantartem.” 

The dog slowly got up looking reproachfully at Draco and then around the room.

“I know you’re Sirius Black you can’t play dumb and you won’t be able to escape. The feast is ending soon and there are sure to be students who have already left. All it takes is a scream from me and you'll be caught. Plus I am the only one who knows that it wasn’t you who turned the Potters in but rather Peter Pettigrew,” at Draco’s utterance of the name The black dogs head twitched the slightest amount and his ears pressed back against his enormous head, “Please return to your human form so we can speak.”

After a moment's hesitation, the Dog transformed into a ragged-looking man. His hair was long and tangled, with streaks of grey marring the once pitch-black hair that must have matched his own mother's. His face showed a depth of despair that Draco had grown familiar with during his time in Azkaban. Although they had discontinued dementors’ use as guards, Many life-time prisoners had held the same look Sirius Black now showed. And the long use of the creatures had stained the walls with their grim aura that staying long past the creature's formal exit. 

“You look like you've seen a ghoul.” An odd almost deranged smile crept onto Sirius Black's face but then disappeared and the man continued. 

“You’re Narcissa's boy aren’t you? The Malfoy? The blonde hair and sharp features certainly match Lucius, but I think I can see Cissy in your cheekbones and your lips are much like hers.”

Draco hadn’t often heard that most people only commented on how much he looked like a Malfoy. 

“Yes, I am.”

“Well then I can’t see why you would want to help me and I certainly will not be trusting you. You say that you know that I was not a death eater, but then tell me why a son of a death eater would want to help me.” 

Draco had anticipated this, “ You more than anyone should understand that not every child follows in the footsteps of their parents, Sirius  _ Black”  _

The man took in Dracos words but kept a distrustful eye on the boy. 

“While I know that you did not betray the potters what I can’t wrap my head around is why you have been acting so dodgy, why would the godfather leave his newly orphaned godson all alone and then make little effort to stay out of Azkaban, why following his escape would the man not try to clear his name but instead make it seem as though he would like to kill his godson?”

Sirius looked indignantly at Draco, “ I went after  _ Peter  _ for Harry, shortly after I arrived at Lily and James place Hagrid showed up telling me that Dumbledore would take Harry to his aunt and uncle’s, a place with another baby boy, a place he could be safe and grow up happy, far away from the mess that was the wizarding world following the fall of He Who Must Not Be Named.”

Draco Scoffed, “Well if you had stuck around long enough you would have seen that Harry Potter did not grow up happy. How can you say that getting yourself thrown into Azkaban was worth losing Harry.”

“Your young you can’t yet understand the deep level of betrayal that Pettigrew did to those who considered him their best friends. And you can’t understand what it's like to be the cause of your best friend's death, even if it was an accident, especially if it was an accident.”

An image of vincent burning in the damn room of hidden things flashed across Draco's mind and he quickly replied, “ You would be surprised the things I understand.”

They stood in silence for a moment following Draco’s words both avoiding each other's gaze. 

“You know it been such a long time since I’ve been at Hogwarts, I expected it to look different, but so many things have stayed the same.” Sirius gestured around the classroom and continued, “for example, this was the abandoned classroom that me and my friends would go to to practice our jinxes. Close enough to the dorm that we could run there if we spotted Filch heading this way. I can’t believe that old man still works here. He was old in my time but he's ancient now and just as crotchety.” 

Draco was a bit confused about where the man was going with this. 

“I don’t trust you but as you’ve pointed out you're the only help I’ve got, at least the only human help. I want to ensure that Harry’s time at Hogwarts is as wonderful as mine and his parents were. I need to know that his parent's deaths were avenged, I need to know that the rat scampering around shitting on James and Lily’s memory by being in the presence of their son, is dead. So if Draco Malfoy says he's willing to help me make things right then I suppose I should hear him out. So what’s your plan?” 

Draco started, “My plan? What's your plan? I'm here to help you, surely you have come up with some kind of plan over the last few months if not in the years you were away in Azkaban.” 

Draco knew it was a touch hypocritical as he too had not been able to come up with any solid plan over the last few months but he didn’t want to think about that now that he was so close to his goal. 

“Well I was going to get into the Gryffindor common room and kill Pettigrew, who as you may or may not know is hiding as Harry's friend's pet rat, on the one night a year that all students would be down in the great hall, but you kind of ruined that plan,” Sirius spoke with a sarcastic cadence that didn’t show how truly upset he was. 

Draco only sneered back, “ ah yes, but how exactly would you get into the dorm? Do you know the password or were you going to try to get in with pure brute strength?”

Sirius stood up straighter not willing to back down from Draco’s challenge.

“While I may not have had the password I wasn’t going to let something so insignificant stop when I am so close to avenging James and Lily.”

“Well I know that your heart is set on killing Wormtail, but I think that if we revealed him to be alive then we can both clear your name and get him a punishment worse than death.”

While Sirius was at first confused by Draco’s use of Pettigrew's nickname he now was giving serious thought to Dracos idea. 

“Well, that would not only require Wormtails capture but also an audience willing to sit there long enough to listen to what we have to say.” 

Draco nodded only having to think for a moment before he realized that while no one may listen to, the son of a death eater or Azkaban escapee on their own, perhaps the two of them plus Harry potter and their defense professor could be enough to persuade them. 

“I think I know to people who would be willing to hear us out if we present it in the right way and then with them on our side, It won't be too difficult to convince the rest.” 

Draco hoped he sounded more confident in his plan than he felt, but in the end, Sirius either bought that it was a good plan or was desperate enough to take his chances as he agreed to try what Draco was suggesting. 

The two parted after taking for a short while longer, with Draco needing to head back to the dorms before it got too close to curfew. Draco laid in bed trying to figure out how exactly he would do what he had proposed to Sirius back in the unused classroom. 


End file.
